Should I be worried about taking AP courses this year?

Question

I'm taking three AP classes this year: Psychology, Art History, and Calculus. I'm not a very hard working student and I'm not taking this classes for the AP test - I'm just interested in them. I like Psych and Art, and I figured since I'm interested in engineering I should probably have a higher understanding of math than just Algebra and Geometry.

Do you have any advice for me?

Answer 1

you will just need to work harder to pass them. they are harder classes but are better because losers don't take them and you don't have a bunch of gang bangers distracting you. Have you taken any honors classes? they would have helped greatly. I would also suggest taking honors or AP chemistry and/or physics. the Calculus class is a good one but I would suggest doing an extremely good job and paying attention in that one or you will be killed in college. Even if you don't take the AP tests, learn as much as you can and study so when you take the classes again in college, you will know whats going on and you will have a little more free time to do whatever like study for other classes. anyway, good luck and I hope you continue into engineering. it is an excellent field to be in.

Answer 2

The course load is higher in AP classes, so you better be pretty interested in them. You should just go ahead and plan on taking the exams anyway, since you might like it enough to get a major in those subjects later on. Also, preparing for the test will help you learn the material better and keep you motivated. The students who decide early on that they don't want to take the exam end up doing really poorly in the class (and some flunk out).

Take ap calc, better to get it over in high school than in college. Art history is a pretty tedious course, so be prepared.

My honors classes were always treated the same as well, but AP courses are definitely at a different level.

Answer 3

Why wouldn't you take the AP tests? Even though one of my friends took Honors and AP English, she didn't take the test b/c she wanted to go to fashion school so she didn't need the college credit. But since you're interested in engineering, you might end up in college--where a good AP score can earn you course credits.

But, back to your question--I took several AP classes in high school. I wasn't a very hard-working student, either (an under-achiever, if you will), but since I was interested in the subjects the classes weren't a struggle. Here's the thing: they're not called AP classes for no reason. There will be more reading and writing than in "normal" classes, and teachers will expect more of you in class.

Like I said, I was a pretty lackluster student in classes that I wasn't interested in. I pulled in Bs and Cs in math/science, but in my "hard" classes--the ones I LIKED--I had an A- average.

My point is that your interests should motivate you to do well. I wouldn't worry about being swamped in work and having no social life. At the very least, if you don't like one of the classes, you're (most likely) not obligated to stay in for the whole year. Just switch out into something else at the end of the trimester/semester.

Good luck. And I encourage you to take the tests! You never know, you might need those scores down the road.